**Please note that if your pet does not have a current Rabies Vaccine then we will require that it be done at an additional charge of $23.44. **

Included in the routine surgery prices: Pre-op exam, general anesthesia, the surgical procedure, a 24-hour pain injection, and a course of pain medicine to go home.

Not included are the optional services: IV Catheter ($95), bloodwork ($190-280), Elizabethan Collar ($35).  If your pet is older or has any health issues, we may require that you opt in for the catheter and bloodwork.

Neutering/Castration of dogs and cats:

Neutering or castration is the surgical procedure we use to sterilize a male cat/dog by removing their testicles.

When to Neuter:

We only neuter dogs after 6 months of age and cats after 5 months of age.

Cats should be neutered soon after 5 months to help prevent unwanted behaviors like spraying.

We recommend for large breed dogs especially that we wait until they are fully developed. There are few medical reasons to neuter a dog. Waiting until they are 12-15months allows their bones and joints to be fully developed. However, if we are seeing unwanted behavior issues then neutering earlier on will be more likely to help with those.

Before the Procedure:

We generally require a doctor’s exam prior to scheduling the procedure so we know your pet and so we can make sure they are good surgical candidates and don’t have any other issues that may need to be addressed (e.g. Retained puppy teeth; Hernias; Cryptorchidism).

It is always a good idea to have blood work done on your pet before they undergo anesthesia so that we can identify potential organ function issues and/or make sure they are healthy enough for the procedure. It’s all about minimizing risk.

What to expect:

This is a surgical procedure performed under anesthesia. It is much less invasive than spaying female dogs/cats.

Dogs:

A breathing tube will be placed to facilitate anesthesia.

A small incision, usually ~1in, is made through the skin in front of the testicles. The testicles are exposed, tied off and removed and the subcutaneous tissue and skin are sutured closed. The skin sutures are buried so you will not see them or need to have them removed.

Cats: 

These are performed under heavy sedation without a breathing tube. Two small incisions are made directly over the testicles which are then exposed, tied off and removed. The small skin incisions are left open and heal very quickly on their own.

The procedures themselves take ~2mins for a cat and ~15mins for a dog and the patients are closely monitored throughout the procedure and during recovery.

They will be ready to go home the same afternoon and will likely be hungry that first night as they would have been fasted prior to surgery.

Recovery:

They are generally very comfortable when they go home. It is very important to keep them quiet for ~10days post-op to allow quick healing to occur. They don’t understand this restriction, so you need to provide that control. If they are allowed to run/jump/play post-op they can develop swelling and discomfort at the surgical site and sometimes infection if the skin incision stretches and opens up. This often requires an additional surgical procedure to repair and prolonged discomfort and recovery.

Most dogs will go home with an anti-anxiety medication (Trazodone for dogs) to help keep them quiet and help them tolerate the cone.

Benefits:

By performing this procedure:

• They can no longer breed.
• They will have less drive to roam where they can get lost or hurt on the road
• Their behavior will generally mellow and they will have less drive to fight.
• They will have less drive to mark their territory or spray.
• Reduces the risk of common prostate disease in dogs.
• It eliminates the risk of testicular cancer.

If you have any concerns about timing, recovery, or alternatives, we’re happy to discuss those with you.